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Provel Cheese: Let's Decide. Yummy or Yucky?

This week's conversation starter was inspired by one of our Readers' Choice categories.

 

I spend a lot of time all over the St. Louis area. I love Old Town St. Charles, I go to the zoo, the garden, Washington Avenue. I'll stand behind no one in my zeal for the St. Louis Cardinals. But still, I get accused of being a St. Louis hater for one reason.

I can't abide Provel cheese.

Sorry. I'm just not a fan. And for that reason, I'm not qualified to nominate any pizza restaurants in our Readers' Choice campaign, under way right now. One of the categories is "Favorite St. Louis-style Pizza," and I don't have any favorites (but you can nominate a place by clicking on that link).

This Readers' Choice campaign got me wondering what we see in Provel cheese. Or, hearing from others who love St. Louis, but not so much the Provel — a unique concoction to the Gateway City, according to Wikipedia's write-up:

"Provel is a white processed cheese that is popular in St. LouisMissouri. Provel is produced with CheddarSwiss, and provolone. Provel has a low melting point and, thus, has a gooey and almost buttery texture at room temperature."

So tell us in the comments. Are you a fan of Provel? If so, why? If not, why not? Are there St. Louis-area natives who are not fans? Are there transplants who are?

  • Provel Cheese:

    (Voting has been closed for this question)
    • Ick!
        130 (34%)
    • Mmmm!
        246 (65%)
    Total votes: 376
  • Your vote will only count once. This is not a scientific poll. View Results Vote!
Related Topics: Conversation Starter, Provel Cheese, Readers' Choice 2012, and St. Louis Pizza

Maria Sparks

7:27 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel cheese is DISGUSTING and Imo's Pizza is a place I never eat. GROSS!! I was born and raised here in St Louis, with a 10 year stint of living in other areas, am back for what seems to be the long haul.
My favorite pizza is Dewey's!!

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Chris Charboneau

10:21 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Deweys is the most overrated pizza ever. I went once and was like whats the deal???

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Renee

3:28 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012

Order your Imo's pizza with mozzerella. That's the only way I can get my husband to eat there, he hates provell too ;-) but once he discovered you can have mozerella, he loves it!

Marc DeSantis

7:58 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel really is gross. If you think it's bad on pizza, then imagine how horrible it is covering a salad. I'm from Brooklyn NY originally, and I haven't found anyone who grew up outside of St Louis who likes the stuff. I prefer La Pizza on Delmar.

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Mike G

3:02 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012

La Pizza is the best NY Style pizza in STL. (I am from NY)

Dave Piehl

8:05 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Agreed. This lifelong St. Louisian thinks Provel is gross. Best pizza place in south county is Joannie's on Telegraph. Another not too far away is Pi in Kirkwood. Yumm!

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Cecilia Sprecher

8:14 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

When new to the area, we bought ( and threw away) an entire Imo's pizza.

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Edward Hecker

8:18 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

I'm a native who has yet to take a stand on either side of the Provel/Mozzarella debate. All I know is that Provel was developed because Mozzarella's higher melting point made it more clumpy, harder to handle, and more likely to burn people. They are both light tasting cheeses. So what, exactly, is it about Provel to make it "gross"? On paper it seems to be a good idea...

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Linda Schroeder

8:33 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

I originally lived in the Chicago area, and the last time I had a pizza up there I thought I was chewing a a piece of fat. I was really a clump of mozzarella cheese. I had to spit it out cause I couldn't swallow it. I'll take provel over mozzarella anytime.

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Bill Pearson

8:56 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Best pizza in St. Louis Failonis on Manchester BAR NONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Bill Pearson

8:57 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Sorry Failonis uses lots of provel...............OUTSTANDING

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Julie Belzer

9:07 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel in salad is okay but on pizza it has a slimy after taste. I grew up in Chicago so finding good tasty pizza in STL has been tough. Best thing about going to sweet home Chicago is Lou Malnatti's....and family!

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FLIP PALLOZOLA

9:58 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

I love Provel cheese. Have you ever had steak or chicken Modiga? You couldn't eat it with Mozzarella. Mozzarella is too stringy when hot(you couldn't eat it without burning your mouth)and when cool it gets too chewy. Yuck

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Steve Biondo

10:00 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel is AMAZING. Grew up on Imo's pizza and Ruma's Deli Gerbers. I've lived outside St. Louis and missed it terribly!

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jane

10:04 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Lovel provel. Love it on pizza, salad and I use it in many of our favorite recipes.

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Jenn Webb

10:10 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel is delish! Imos pizza & salad, Ruma's Deli on the Gerbers and THE best baked mostaccioli! My fiance & his son are not from St. Louis, so it's taken them a little while, but they've now come to love it!

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Meredith McMindes

10:12 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Like using Velveeta to make a pizza. Yuck.

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Chris Charboneau

10:23 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

provel is good on pizzas and salads.

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Sheri Gassaway

10:53 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Agreed! Provel rocks on pizza and salads.

BColley

11:14 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

I'm a huge fan of Imo's...the next day. Fresh, not so much. I'm picky about my cheese & it's too gooey for me when it's first cooked. I don't like Pizza Hut's stuffed crust with mozzarella either. THAT is pretty close to disgusting. Now, Imo's house salad with the provel on top=pretty close to heaven!

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ardanklefsen

11:36 am on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel on pizza is an abomination and should be punishable by death. Before I learned about provel I use to come to St Louis and have Imos. I always wondered why it tasted terrible. Once moving here three years ago I figured out why, provel. After moving here I needed to find an adequate pizza place. After a few months we found JJTwiggs pizza. Guess what.....they are transplants from the original location in Lake Zurich, IL. My hometown in high school. Go figure. Small world. Next time you order a pizza in St Louis as for mozerella, it's real cheese.

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Bill Fath

6:40 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

You're right, JJTwiggs is an excellent pizza. They use only mozzarella cheese which
is the only cheese for pizza. There are other good pizza restaurants in St. Louis
who use provel (gross) cheese & most will put mozzarella on if you request it. There
is one restaurant that will not give you mozzarella cheese under any circumstances
& that is Perrone's. Needless to say I do not give them any of my business. A true
pizza lover will tell you that Mozzarella cheese is the only cheese.

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grobstl

1:10 am on Monday, May 13, 2013

Provel is a real 3 cheese blend consisting of smoked provolone, swiss and white cheddar. Last time I checked those were real cheese.

Rick

12:22 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel has it's place....mix it with Moz and you get a pretty good pizza....It's really just a white version of velveeta, eh?

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Bonnie Krueger

12:31 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

We love JJ Twigs pizza. Imos is our second favorite. I certainly can understand people having different tastes in what they like (I am not a fan of cilantro or hummus for example), but some of these responses seem a little extreme.

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Kurt Greenbaum

1:25 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Perhaps a little extreme...but let's chalk it up to the literary technique of using hyperbole to make a point. I think we all know we're talking about cheese here. :)

Jack Friedman

12:42 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Having lived all over the country (and now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area) my wife and I really miss having our pizza's with provel cheese. Visiting St Louis about once a year we always take back a brick (5 lbs) with us. It's all about what you grew up with and provel is our cheese of choice. We miss Ninos, Vias, Rinaldis all went out of business in the 70s and they were our favorite haunts when growing up.
Jack Friedman

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meg langa

1:11 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

not a fan of provel.. sticks in your teeth.. I can handle Imos pizza if it has a bunch of other stuff on it.. (or if I am really hungry), but would rather have mozzarella any day! I am liking Pi these days.. Deweys not so much..

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E.J. Rotert

2:16 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

And I thought Provel cheese came from Provel, Utah. :)-

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michelle siebel

2:17 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel cheese - can't imagine life w/o it. Love it!

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Thomas O'Neill

6:37 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel cheese does give a pizza a greasy flavor, but I liked that on a pizza. Most people who don't like provel also prefer margarine over butter. My favorite pizza is from Biggies on Watson.

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HLM

9:25 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel on pizza YUCK. On salad its good. Life long St Louisian....SOME of the Imo's have Motz only most only have a motz provel mix...love Imo's motz only cant stand the mix or the provel only......

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HLM

9:26 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Since we're talkin cheese. My brogher and i have had this argument for years. He says provel and provelone are the same i say no way they are different....any thoughts

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Jen

11:30 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel is actually a mixture of provolone and other cheeses. You win! :)

Brandon Fry - Local Volunteer

9:53 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

I know they are different, just don't remember what the differences are. I never really liked cheese too much as a kid, but now I am finding a lot more that I like. Brie and spreadable cheeses, are my favorites.

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William Braudis

10:36 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Those who dislike Provel have never had it on a good brain or headcheese sandwich. Mmmmmmmm..

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Jen

11:25 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Provel is so YUMMY! I did not grow up here in the Lou...was "transplanted" after college, but now stand firmly on Team Provel! The funny thing is, my hubby, who WAS born and raised here, never really embraced the deliciousness of provel. :)

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Mike G

3:11 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012

It really depends on where your from and what kind of pizza you like. I am form NY and LA pizza is the best NY style in STL. If you don't like NY style or like deep dish then PI is very good. I don't mind Deweys or Raconellis either. Even Bar pizza (what I call STL style) is ok if I am in the mood for that (not normally though). IMOs is terrible

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Douglas Riggs

4:39 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012

One ounce of Provel cheese has 460 mg. of sodium in it, compared with my personal favorite all purpose cheese Colby Jack, which only has 180 mg of sodium per ounce. Add to that the fact that Provel Cheese tastes like cardboard. Why bother with it?

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Lisa G.

11:10 am on Thursday, July 5, 2012

Provel is the best! We buy the large blocks of it from Sappington Farmer's Market http://www.sappingtonfarmersmkt.com/, shred it, freeze it, and use a bag at a time. Makes the best pizzas and we love it on our salads, or to just eat plain. Yum!

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William Braudis

2:25 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I am an American and I will not eat that illegal immirgrant Proval Cheese.... it is American Cheese or nothing. OH, oh, say can you see by the dawns early light ..... Oh, sorry can not help it. Yes, Yellow, AMERICAN Cheese. ⚐⚐ USA, USA, USA, ETC.

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